Sigma announces 20mm F2 DG DN Contemporary I Series lens, the company’s widest I Series lens yet

e-mount i series ir l-mount lens news photography prime sigma sigma 20mm f2

posted Wednesday, February 9, 2022 at 7:30 AM EST

Sigma has announced the seventh lens in its 'I Series' of premium compact prime lenses for mirrorless cameras. The new 20mm F2 DG DN Contemporary is the widest lens in the all-metal series, offering a 94.5-degree angle of view on full-frame cameras.

The lens, available in L-mount and Sony E-mount, weighs just 370 grams (13.1 ounces) and is a mere 72.4mm (2.9") long. The maximum diameter is 70mm (2.8"), and the lens has a 62mm filter thread.

We have been able to go hands-on with the lens ahead of today's announcement, although due to unforeseen technical issues, our first hands-on images won't be available until later this week. Nonetheless, we can tell you that the new 20mm F2 DG DN lens features the same excellent build quality as other I Series lenses, such as the first I Series lenses we tested a year ago.

Image courtesy of Sigma

The 'Made in Japan' lens has a metal, knurled focus ring that offers an excellent grip and feel. The rotation is smooth yet offers an assuring resistance. When focusing manually – which can be done with a quick flick of the arc-type AF/MF switch – it's easy to achieve precise focus. The lens also includes an aperture control ring. It is labeled at F2 through F22 with one-third apertures designated with short dashes. There's also an automatic (A) position to the left of F22. The aperture ring features the same great textured finish as the focus ring. By the way, the lens has a dust- and splash-resistant design.

Like other I Series lenses, the 20mm F2 DG DN C comes with a regular lens cap and a second magnetic lens cap. It also includes a textured lens hood that matches the styling of the rest of the lens. The complete package is quite stylish.

Optically, the lens has a lot of elements despite its compact frame. The lens includes 13 elements across 11 groups. Among the 13 elements are a single FLD, an SLD and three aspherical lens elements. The lens includes Super Multi-Layer Coating and Nano Porous Coating to reduce ghosting and flare. Sigma has focused on sharp performance across the frame, even when shooting wide open. Further, Sigma's engineers have worked to suppress sagittal coma flare, so the lens should work well for night sky photography. We will test this aspect of the lens's performance as soon as the weather allows.

When it comes to autofocus, the lens uses a stepping motor autofocus system. In use, it's reasonably quick, although it is audible when making focus adjustments. In terms of close focusing performance, the lens can focus as close as 22cm (8.7"), resulting in a maximum magnification ratio of 1:6.7.

The Sigma 20mm F2 DG DN Contemporary I Series lens will be available beginning February 25 at a suggested retail price of $699. Like other I Series lenses, it's available for L-mount and E-mount.